Controlling attachment for trolley-poles.



Patented May I3, 1902.

B. J. BARRY. CONTBDLLING ATTACHMENT FOB TROLLEY POLES.

(Application filed Dec. 10, 1901.)

(N0 Model.)

Patenfed May l3, I902.

R. J. BARRY. CONTROLLING ATTACHMENT FOR TRDLLEY POLES.

Ap licacio'n filed. Dec. 10,.1901.

(lilo Model.)

Unrrrnn dramas PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT JOHN BARRY, OF TVESTBORO, CANADA.

CONTROLLING ATTACHMENT FOR TROLLEY-POLES.

SPECIFICATION fornling part Of Letters Patent No. 699,643, dated May 13, 1902. Application filed December 10,1901. $erial No. 85,389. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT J OHN BARRY, a subject of the King of Great Britain, resid-v ing at WVestboro, in the county of Carleton, Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented a new and useful Controlling Attachment for Trolley-Poles,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in controlling attachments for trolley-poles; and I the object of myinventionis to devise a means whereby the trolley-pole will be prevented from flying up and striking the cross supporting-wires when the wheel comes off the trolleywire, and, further, to make such a device capable of being changed to the forward or back position on the car, according as the pole is in the forward or back position, and also to make such a device simple and cheap in construction and easily attachable to and detachable from the car; and it consists, essentially, of a rod having a hooked upper end to engage the trolley-pole and having a spring secured to its lower end, said spring being directly or indirectly secured at its lower end to the top of the car, and the strength of said spring being such as to equal the strength of the ordinary spring for holding the trolley pole against the wire when the trolley-wheel is above the trolley-wire,but not sufficiently high to strike against the cross supporting-wires, the various parts of the device being constructed and arranged in detail as hereinafter more particularlydescribed.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a car, showing my device in position. Fig. 2 is a side view of my device and also indicates one of the ordinary devices for securing the trolley-pole to the car and holding it in position against the trolley-wire. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of my device on the line on 60, Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a portion of my device. Fig. 5 is a perspective detail of the supporting-piece for the cylindrical casing. Fig. 6 is a section through Fig. 2 on the line y y. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the threaded adjuster. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a car, showing my device secured directly to the roof. Fig. 9 is a sectional View through the form of'device adapted to be attached 'directly to the top of the car. I

In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

a is the trolley-wire.

b is the trolley-pole, which may be secured to the top of the car by any of the well-known means; but in order to make my invention clear I have shown one means of attaching the trolley-pole to the car, which I will now describe.

The trolley-pole is provided at its lower end with a pair of arms 0 0. These arms embrace and are pivotally secured to a casting cl, so that the inclination of the trolley-pole may be varied. The casting is pivoted in a supportingsocket e, which is suitably secured to the top of the car. A hollow rod f extends through and is secured to the casting at. Sliding collars g are mounted on the rodf and are secured to the lower ends of the arms 0 c by suitable chains h. Springs t', pressing against the collar g, tend to keep the trolley-pole in an approximately vertical position.

Having described one of the devices in ordinary use for securing the trolley-pole to the car, I will now describe my invention.

'5 is a rod which is bent to form a hook at its upper end.

k is a spiral spring, to which the rod j may be secured by any suitable means; but the means which I prefer to employ is as follows: An adjuster Z is provided, having a spiral groove formed on its outer circumference to receive the turns of the spiral spring is. A square hole m is formed centrally through the length of this adjuster, and the lower end of the rod j, which is also square, is inserted therein and held from slipping out by suitable means, such as a pin a. A cylindrical casing 0 is provided, having a hole 19 in its upper portion through which the rod 3' ex: tends. This hole p is made larger in diameter than the rodj in order to allow said rod a certain amount of play. The lower end of the cylindrical casin g o is in ordinary cases, when it is necessary for the trolley-pole to be reversed in order to allow the car to go in an opposite direction, pivoted to an outwardlyextending rod, which is secured tothe rod f by means to be hereinafterdescribed. In cases where a car runs on a loop or belt linethat is, when it is not necessary to change the positionof the trolley-pole from one end'of the car to the ot-herthe cylindrical casing 0 may be pivoted in a socket or hearing directly secured to the top of the car. The construction which I prefer to employ in the former caseis as follows: A rod q is provided and one of its ends is secured in the hollow rod f, preferably by means of set-screws r a" engaging a flat portion formed thereon. ()n the opposite end of this rod asupporting-piece sis secured, having lugs t, betweenwhich the cylindrical casing o is pivoted. The lower end of the cylindrical casing does not quite come in contact with the upper side of the supportingpiece 8, the object of this being to allow the cylindrical casing, the hooked rod, 850., to rock slightly in a lateral direction; but there is not sufficient distance to allow it to fall over when disengaged from the trolley-pole. It is preferable to form the supporting-piece s with the gable-shaped upper side it. The casing 0 is formed on its lower end with a similarshaped depression '0, and this allows the easing to rock slightly; but the extent of its rocking is limited, as the outer edge of the depression Q: will come in contact with one side of the gable-shaped portion u. The rod (1 is preferably, also, formed with a gable-shaped upper side at its end, and this is inserted in a correspondingly shaped hole 10, formed in the supporting-piece s, and thus the supporting-piece is prevented from twisting on the rod q. To prevent it from slipping off the end of the rod, any suitable means, such as a set-screw 2, may be provided.

In Figs. 8 and 9 the form of device shown is adapted to be used, as above mentioned, when it is not necessary to change the trolleypole from one end of the car to the other. In this form of the device a suitable plate 3, having upwardly extending lugs 4, is firmly secured to the top of the car. The cylindrical casing 0 is pivoted between these lugs 4, and

the lower end of the casing is formed in such a way as to allow it to rock considerably in a lateral direction in order to follow the movements of the trolley-pole when the car is going around a curve. The spiral spring in both forms of the device is secured at its lower end to the pin 5, on which the cylindrical casing is pivoted.

Having now described the construction of my invention, I will proceed to point out the method of using the same and its advantages.

When my device is attached to the trolleypole of the car, the spiral spring 70 is intended to be of such strength as to equal the strength of the spring a} when the trolley-wheel comes off the trolley-wire and before it has reached a sufficient height to strike the cross supporting-wires. In other words, there will be an equilibrium between the spring 1', tending to force the trolley-pole upward, and the spring is, tending to pull the trolley-pole downward whenthetrolley-wheelisjustabovethe trolleywire and just below the supporting-wire, as in- .is broken.

dicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. If it is found on attaching my device to the trolley-pole that the spring 7.; is too weak or too strong, its strength may be adjusted by varying the number of its effective turns by turning the adjuster Z by means of the rod j.

A great source of expense and trouble to electric-railway companies has been owing to the fact that when the trolley-wheel slips off the wire the trolley-pole, owing to the strength of the spring 2', will swing up to the upright position, where it will strike against the crosswires. This will cause it to swing down again and hit the top of the car, and in this way, when a car is running fast, a considerable amount of damage is done not only to the trolley-wire, but frequently the trolley-pole The object of my invention is to entirely get rid of these difliculties by controlling the trolley pole so that it cannot spring high enough to strike the cross-wires.

It will be understood that I do not wish to limit myself to the exact construction shown, as certain variations may be made in the form and construction of the various parts without departing from the spirit of my invention.

WVhat I claim as my invention is* 1. The combination with the trolley-pole and spring tending to hold it erect, of a countervailing spring means arranged in the path of the pole so that the same might be caught thereby when it flies off the conductor as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination with a trolley-pole and a spring tending to hold it erect, of a rod having a hooked upper portion to engage said trolley-pole and a spring attached to the lower end of said rod and suitable means for securing said spring to the top of the trolley-car as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination with a trolley-pole and a spring tending to hold it erect, of a rod having a hooked upper portion to engage said trolley-pole, aspring secured to the lower end of said rod, a casing in which the lower end of said spring is held stationary and means for securing said casing to the car as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination -with a trolley-pole and a spring tending to hold it erect, of a rod having a hooked upper portion to engage said trolley-pole, a spiral spring, an adjuster immovably secured to the lower end of said rod, and having on its outer circumference a spiral groove designed to receive said spiral spring, a casing to which the lower end of said spring is secured and having a hollow in its upper end through which said rod extends and means for securing said casing to said car as and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination with a trolley-pole and a spring tending to hold it erect, of a bar designed to turnon the same vertical pivot as said trolley-pole, a rod having a hooked upper portion to engage said trolley-pole, a spring attached to the lower end of said hooked rod, a casing to which the lower end of said spring ICC is secured, and having a hole in its upper end through which said hooked rod extends,

-and means for pivotally securing said casing to said bar as and for the purpose specified.

6. lhe combination with a trolley-pole and a spring tending to hold it erect, of a bar designed to turn 011 the same vertical pivot as said trolley-pole, a rod having a hooked upper portion to engage said trolleypole, a spring attached to the lower portion of said rod, a casing to which said spring is attached at its lower end and having a hole in its upper portion through which said rod extends, a supporting-piece secured to the end of said bar and having upwardly extending lugs formed thereon and a pin or pivot passing through said lugs and through holes in the lower portion ofsaid casing as and for the purpose specified.

'7. The combination with the trolley-pole and the spring tending to hold it erect, and the hollow bar on which said spring is mounted and the vertical pivot on which said trolley-pole and hollow bar are supported, of a rod having a hooked upper portion designed to engage said trolley-pole, a spiral spring secured to thelower end of said rod, a casing for said spiral spring having a hole in its upper portion through which said rod extends, a rearwardly-extending bar having its forward end secured in said hollow bar, a supporter secured to the rear end of said rearwardly-extending bar, said supporter having upwardly-extendinglugs and a pin or pivot passing through said lugs and said casing, the lower end of said spring being secured to said pin or pivot as and for the purpose specified.

Signed at the city ofOttawa this 22d day of November, 1901.

ROBERT JOHN BARRY. Witnesses:

E. P. FETHERSTONHAUGH, E. N. WHITE. 

